Dublin Coddle

Method

1. Peel the potatoes and cut them into big 3–4 cm chunks; just halve small ones. Halve the onions and slice them into 5 mm half-moons. Cut the bacon into 3 cm pieces. Pick the parsley leaves and chop them finely.

2. Heat the oil in a 24 cm frying pan over medium heat. Add the sausages and bacon and turn them now and then for 8 min, until golden on all sides. They don't need to be cooked through; they finish in the pot. If the pan is crowded, brown them in two goes so they colour instead of steaming.

   Add in this stepVegetable oil 1 tspPork sausages (fresh, thick) 5Bacon (Irish back bacon if you can find it) 150 g

   medium heat

3. In a heavy 20 cm pot with a lid, spread half the onions and half the potatoes. Lay all the sausages and bacon on top, sprinkle over the pepper and half the parsley, then cover with the remaining onions and potatoes.

   Add in this stepOnions (medium) 1½Floury potatoes 550 gCoarsely ground black pepper ½ tspFlat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 tbsp

4. Pour in the stock: it should come about three-quarters of the way up, with the top layer of potatoes just peeking out so they steam. Bring to the boil over high heat, then turn down to low heat, cover and simmer gently for 50 min, with just a few lazy bubbles. Don't stir, so the layers stay intact.

   Add in this stepChicken stock 500 ml

   high heat→low heat

5. Take the lid off and simmer over medium-low heat for 10 min more so the broth reduces a little; some of the top potatoes will break down and thicken it naturally. It is ready when a knife slides easily into the potatoes and the sausages show no pink when cut (75 °C in the centre). Taste the broth before adding salt, as the bacon is already salty.

   Add in this stepSalt to taste

   medium-low heat

6. Ladle the sausages, bacon and potatoes into deep bowls with plenty of broth and scatter over the remaining parsley. Serve with buttered soda bread for mopping up the broth, the way Dubliners do.

   Add in this stepFlat-leaf parsley, chopped 1 tbsp